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Sarah Kirchberger

@sarahkirchberger.bsky.social

1.6K followers 360 following 1.6K posts

Director, Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University (@ispk.bsky.social) | Vice President, German Maritime Institute (DMI) | Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council | ex-naval analyst @TKMS & ex-Sinology professor @Uni Hamburg.

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · Jun 2

🧵 Am updating once more my PLA Navy type & age structure graphs. Been doing these occasionally since ca. 2010 as they help me keep a grip on #PLAN fleet development; perhaps others find them useful too.

Starting this new round with the aircraft carriers. Let me know in case of typos/mistakes pls!

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 7m

Useful ideas for countering Russia in this May 2025 EUISS report.

Has lots of good info graphs, too!

Unpowering Russia: How the EU can counter and undermine the Kremlin

It’s time for the EU to push back against Russian aggression and dismantle the Kremlin’s ability to undermine its interests. We propose a strategic playbook to shift from defence to disruption, and hi...

www.iss.europa.eu

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Reposted by Sarah Kirchberger

Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 54m

It's not news that Europe is slow

But to read that - 35 articles in a state newspaper (public!) assessing China's chokepoints - 7 years before the policy discussion properly started here, is tragic

US & China are going for the jugular. EU sharpens its quill for another roadmap

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 33m

For reference, here’s another attempt at visualizing the same issue, from the print version of Der Standard. The article text can be found here:

www.derstandard.at/story/300000...

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 37m

It’s a reworked version of this map ⬇️ from a recent IISS report, which you can find here:

www.iiss.org/research-pap...

A bit easier to digest due to graphic simplification, but necessarily incomplete.

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 33m

For reference, here’s another attempt at visualizing the same issue, from the print version of Der Standard. The article text can be found here:

www.derstandard.at/story/300000...

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 37m

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NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 1h

Emergency blackouts have been implemented in parts of Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions following Russia’s mass strike, DTEK reports. Power cuts are ongoing in Brovary and Boryspil districts, while in Kryvyi Rih, rolling outages are underway. Critical infrastructure is switching to generators.

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.loyal Magazin @loyalmagazin.bsky.social · 2h

👉 Oft seien es Hobbypiloten, die aus Unwissenheit die Drohne nahe an den Militärstandort gelenkt hätten, manchmal läge aber auch der Verdacht der Spionage nah, so der Soldat. Alle detektierten Drohnenpiloten hätten eine Strafanzeige bekommen.
7/7

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.loyal Magazin @loyalmagazin.bsky.social · 2h

👉 Auch Netzwerferdrohnen, die mithilfe eines Netzes die gegnerische Drohne einfangen, gäbe es seit Kurzem an seinem Standort, so der Soldat. So auch das Sturmgewehr G27 Smasch X mit speziellem Feuerleitvisier, das zum Abschießen von Drohnen geeignet ist.
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.loyal Magazin @loyalmagazin.bsky.social · 2h

👉 Zudem verfügen sie über den schultergestützten Störsender HP47 (auf dem Foto vor dem Soldaten zu sehen), den sie per Fahrzeug bewegen können, und der die Drohne in einem Kilometer und mehr stören kann.
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.loyal Magazin @loyalmagazin.bsky.social · 2h

👉 Zum Beispiel: Das RaDIS-System (auf dem Foto hinter dem Soldaten), mit dem sie Drohnen erkennen können: Welche Drohne ist es genau? Wohin fliegt sie? Woher kommt sie? Mit ihm können sie auch deren Steuerung übernehmen.
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.loyal Magazin @loyalmagazin.bsky.social · 2h

👉 „Wir haben schon viele Drohnen vom Himmel geholt“, sagt der Soldat, der anonym bleiben möchte (auf dem Foto zu sehen). In seiner Kaserne hätten sie verschiedene Mittel zur #Drohnenabwehr.
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.loyal Magazin @loyalmagazin.bsky.social · 2h

❗ Die #Bundeswehr kann #Drohnen über eigenem Gelände gut bekämpfen - zumindest wenn es handelsübliche Quadrokopter sind. Das ist die Quintessenz eines Gesprächs, das loyal bei der Übung "Red Storm Bravo" in Hamburg mit dem #Soldaten eines Drohnenabwehrtrupps der Bundeswehr geführt hat.
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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 1h

On the #Lauga and its history as a drone carrier suspect ⬇️

Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 21d

The #Lauga and some of its previous shady behavior was mentioned in this Meduza report from June 2025.

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but a fly @claudialanz.bsky.social · 5h

Russian gunrunner LAUGA enr from Haydarpasa/Turkiye to St. Petersburg/Russia deviated course and reduced Speed significantly appr. 40 NM off Hvide Sande/Denmark.

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alina @ramshackle78.bsky.social · 1h

I think at this point we can assume they're both and together playing us for fools. Just this week 👇

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 1h

Interesting, too, that this Chinese civilian vessel would assume the identity of a Russian, not a Chinese, warship.

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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 1h

⚡️ Trump admin reportedly proposes banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on US routes.

The move follows growing frustration among American airlines, which have been barred from flying over Russia since 2022, while Chinese carriers continue to use the route.

Trump admin reportedly proposes banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on US routes

The move follows growing frustration among American airlines, which have been barred from flying over Russia since 2022, while Chinese carriers continue to use the route.

kyivindependent.com

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 1h

True. But here is much more at stake than holding these three individuals responsible: the question of jurisdiction, which ultimately determines whether any future incidents of this type can be prosecuted or not. Because if this ruling continues to stand, prosecutors’ hands will be tied.

Reposted by Sarah Kirchberger

Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 2d

🇨🇳 Chinese ‘fishing vessels’ now posing as warships off 🇹🇼 Taiwan:

“On Sept. 17, a fishing boat, Minshiyu 07792 (閩獅漁07792), transmitted a fake signal of Russian Warship 532 in Taiwan’s northern exclusive economic zone.”

#maritimemilitia

Shipwreck @shipwreck75.bsky.social · 2d

Chinese vessels are reportedly transmitting fake AIS signals in Taiwan’s waters to test Taipei’s responses. bit.ly/4gU4p3u

PRC vessels faking signals to test Taiwan’s response - Taipei Times

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

bit.ly

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 1h

Interesting, too, that this Chinese civilian vessel would assume the identity of a Russian, not a Chinese, warship.

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 1h

The article concludes with a quote:
“As Friedrich Merz, 🇩🇪 Germany’s chancellor, put it this week, ‘The threat is real... drone flights, espionage…not only in Germany…—daily acts of sabotage, attempts to paralyse data centres, cyber-attacks…We are not at war, but we are no longer at peace, either’.”

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The Insider @theins.press · 1h

Germany’s AfD expels Hamburg lawmaker Robert Risch over participation in far-right congress in St. Petersburg

The Sept. 12 congress at the Mariinsky Palace brought together radical nationalists and neo-Nazis from 14 countries, from Hungary to Argentina.

Germany’s AfD expels Hamburg lawmaker Robert Risch over participation in far-right congress in St. Petersburg

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has expelled Hamburg state lawmaker Robert Risch from its parliamentary group after he attended an international gathering of radical nationalis...

theins.press

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Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 1h

Nice info graph of #hybrid attacks on Europe by The Economist.

www.economist.com/briefing/202...

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Charly Salonius-Pasternak @charlyjsp.bsky.social · 12h

Donald Trump says unequivocally that the United States would come to help defend Finland if Russia attacked.

When pressed how, he said “vigorously”

Love the icebreaker deal, but 👆🏼 was the most important thing from the visit.

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